Book Review: House of Leaves

 I recently read the books House of Leaves. I heard of it last year, when some of my friends read it for AP Lit and decided to try it out for myself. Everyone who had read it said that they only got about half way because the book got really scary. So, I decided to venture in to the depths that are House of Leaves.

                I would not say that this is a short read by any means. It took me the better half of the term to read this book. I think it took so long, not only because of my busy schedule, or due to the astronomical amount of pages, but because of the way this is written. One look inside of this book and you would completely agree. There are pages that have text on the text, text written backwards, upside down, and every which way possible. 

                The prologue of this book is vital to read; otherwise you will not understand some if not most of the information within the book. It introduces Johnny Truant who acts as literary editor, presenting the compelling and disturbing scribblings and ramblings on an old man named Zampano. Zampano's papers, which are in his apartment after his death, describe a documentary film called "The Navidson Record" of a family moving into a house which proves to be larger on the inside than it is on the outside, in more ways than one. There is also another editor above Johnny, who makes comments on top of Johnny's comments. Johnny finds himself wondering if the old man didn't just make up the whole story about the young family moving into the house, because Johnny is unable to find any proof that the film exists. Now, what if I told you that Johnny is a compulsive liar? He tells the reader how much fun he has making up completely bogus stories for the benefit of strangers. Knowing this, the reader has to start to wonder if the old man, Zampano, even exists, or if he's just another element of Johnny’s lies. And if you follow that line train of thought, you might even start to wonder if the heavy black book you're holding exists. As you can probably tell this book is very confusing; interesting, but confusing. At any rate, if you stick with this book and power through, it is very interesting. My only recommendation is to not read it in the dark.

Book Review: Da Vinci Code

                    I recently read the book, The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown. I have seen the movie and I thought that I would read the book it was based upon.  This was a phenomenally written book. The plot was really riveting. This book made me want to keep reading. I couldn’t put it down. One thing that I really liked about this book was the conspiracy theories scattered throughout the book. I find conspiracy theories really interesting, so it was really fun to read. It was somewhat confusing when the book jumped from scene to scene. I found it hard to follow where the book was at certain times. I did love how Brown uses descriptions of works of fine art to prove that art can tell stories that history tends to obscure. These works of art include Da Vinci’s Last Supper, Madonna of the Rocks, and Mona Lisa, which hide symbols of goddess worship and the story of the Magdalene; the Church of Saint-Sulpice, which still contains an obelisk, a sign of pagan worship; and tarot cards, which hide themes of pagan mythology. These art objects are constantly viewed by people who see them without seeing their hidden meanings. I would really like to go back and watch the movie now that I have read the book. I would compare the two, but being as I haven’t watched the movie in some time, I feel that it wouldn’t be accurate. I really liked this book and would most definitely recommend it.

Lead and they will follow.

             While filling out an application for NCYL, I was been given the opportunity to reflect on all of my endeavors over the past three years and reflect upon what a leader really is. So, what makes me a leader? What sets me a part from everyone else filling out this application? Well, I don’t know that answer, because I believe that everyone is a leader in their own way, and most of the time we don’t realize it. Maybe, a leader is defined by his or her characteristics.

I believe that I am a very kind, generous, and outgoing person. I love giving my time to help others and I always look for a way to do so. My favorite volunteer projects I do are the ones when I get to spend time with children. During the summer I serve lunch about two to three times a month at a church, down town, in an under privileged neighborhood. At the church there is also a Boys and Girls Club. We serve lunch to these kids as well. I just love playing with the kids and really watching them from the beginning of the summer, to the end and how they grow and develop a personality. This past summer, we did a project with the kids and they drew illustrations of what they want to be when they grow up. As I went to sit with one of the kids I had grown attached to, I looked down at her picture and there I was. She said that when she grew up, she wanted to be just like me. I had known this little girl for a little over two months and in that amount of time I had exuded some amount of leadership to make her aspire to be me. This was a really defining moment in my life where I realized that what you do and how you carry yourself really make a difference in how people perceive you. Since then I have made it a point to always show a positive attitude, because when you’re happy, there’s no doubt that you can make someone else happy.

            Being kind and loving, goes hand in hand with being a good leader.  In the past three years at Kennedy, I have been a part of a numerous amount of leadership positions. My freshman year, I got the wonderful opportunity to be the student director of the spring musical, Sweeney Todd. I got to work side by side with an amazing leader and role model. My leadership did not stop there. My sophomore year, I was Treasurer of the Theatre Department and student director of a speech event. This year, my junior year, I am the President of the Theatre Department, Secretary of the Class of 2013, and student director of a Playtime Poppy production. These positions have helped me grow as a person and increased my responsibility immensely. They have helped me to realize that helping and leading people is what I want to do.

What are you listening to? (part 1)

              When you get to know someone, you start to find out their interests in food, books and music. To me one of the most important aspects of my life is music. I like all kinds of music; hip-hop, soft rock, country, classical, theatrical, and singer-song writer. I love almost every kind of music except hard rock and screamo, hardcore stuff, which is pretty much yelling.

              My favorite thing to listen to is my Pandora channel entitled, “The Best Station Ever”. Why is this the best station ever? Well, my friends, because it has all of the best music on it. The “artist seeds”, which are the artists whose music you have chosen, include Frank Sinatra, Michael Bublé, Norah Jones, Jack Johnson, The Civil Wars, Regina Spektor, Straigh No Chaser, Ingird Michaelson, and The Moldy Peaches. I highly recommend all of these groups and artists! They are all very different, but when combined into a station, it adds a great variety. The following are descriptions of each group or artist.

Frank Sinatra

                Franks Sinatra is truly one of the greatest artists in history. Part of the original Rat Pack, he paved the way for the swing era. His music is just fun and easy-going. My personal favorite songs are “Fly Me to the Moon” and “It Was a Very Good Year”.  I find his music to be very easy going on the ear.

Michael Bublé

                Michael Bublé has a very similar sound to Frank Sinatra. Made famous by his version of “Feelin’ Good”, he has made a name for himself in the soft jazz genre. I find that his music is so subtle and warm that it makes for great studying music.

Norah Jones

                It is hard to explain in words what Norah Jones’ music sounds like, but I guess you could say very mellow. My personal favorite of her songs is “Come Away with me”. I first heard her singing on a soundtrack to one of the “Princess Diaries” movies. She has the ability to sing any song that she wants, but she still manages to keep her own sound. Norah Jones is a truly amazing artist.

Fudge Fudge Fudge

Fudge, that chocolaty, melt-in-your-mouth treat that your nana puts out on the holidays. Who doesn’t love fudge? These are some of my favorite fudge recipes! Please note that not all recipes include serving sizes and some recipes include peanuts. All of these delicious recipes are from my family’s cookbook.

Crunchy Peanut Butter Fudge

Ingredients:

• ·         ²/₃  cupof nonfat dry powdered milk
• ·         ¼ cup of chunky style peanut butter
• ·         ¼ cup of raisins (chopped) – optional
• ·         2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of frozen unsweetened concentrated apple juice (thawed)
• ·         ¾ cup of Rice Krispies

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine powdered milk with peanut butter, blending thoroughly. Stir in raisins and apple juice. Add cereal and stir until combined. Press mixture into an 8x3 ½ x2 ½ -inch nonstick loaf pan. Refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours). To serve, cut into 8 squares and store in refrigerator.

Serving Size: 8 servings

White Fudge

Ingredients:

• ·         1 ½ pounds of white candy wafers
• ·         1 (14 oz.) can of Sweetened condensed milk
• ·         Dash of salt
• ·         1 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract
• ·         1 cup of chopped nuts

Directions:

Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with waxed paper. Melt white candy wafers with sweetened condensed milk and salt in heavy saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, along with the nuts. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Chill for 2 hours or until firm. Turn fudge onto cutting board, peel off paper and cut into squares.

Mint Chocolate Fudge

Ingredients:

• ·         2 cups (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ·         1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk (divided)
• ·         2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• ·         1 cup (6 oz.) white candy wafers
• ·         1 tablespoon peppermint extract
• ·         Green or red food coloring (optional)

Directions:

Line an 8 or 9-inch pan with waxed paper. Melt chocolate chips with 1 cup of sweetened condensed milk in heavy sauce-pan over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Spread half of the mixture into prepared pan and chill for 10 minutes or until firm. Hold remaining chocolate mixture at room temperature. Melt white candy wafers with remaining sweetened condensed milk in heavy saucepan over low heat (mixture will be thick). Add peppermint extract and food coloring, if desired. Spread on chilled chocolate layer and chill 10 minutes longer or until firm. Spread reserved chocolate mixture on top of mint layer. Chill for 2 hours or until firm. Turn fudge onto cutting board and peel off paper. Cut into squares. 

Yummy Snacks Part 2

This is a continuation of some recipes for my favorite snacks and sweets! Do not be discouraged by the names of some of the snacks, as some names are pretty creative. Please note that serving sizes are not given with all recipes and some recipes may contain peanuts. All of the recipes have been taken from my family’s cookbook.

Oreo Bon Bons

Ingredients:

• ·         1 package of Oreo Cookies
• ·         1 (8-oz.) package of Cream Cheese
• ·         1 package of White or Chocolate Almond Bark

Direction:

Place cookie in a gallon-size Ziploc bag and crush the cookies. Soften the cream cheese and put it in a large mixing bowl. Ass the crushed cookies and mix together (you may have to use your hands). Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls. Put on a cookie sheet, covered with wax paper. Freeze balls for 20 minutes. Melt the almond bark in the microwave. Roll the frozen balls into the melted almond bark and place on wax paper.

Note: To make Oreo Bon Bon Pops, stick short wooden skewers into the cookie balls before freezing.

Mashed Potato Candy

Ingredients:

• ·         ½ cup of cold mashed potatoes
• ·         ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract
• ·         1 (1 lb.) package of confectioners’ sugar
• ·         1 cup of peanut butter

Directions:

Combine mashed potatoes and vanilla in a bowl and mix well. Beat in confectioners’ sugar a small amount at a time until mixture is the consistency of bread dough. Roll out on confectioners’ sugar coated surface. Spread with peanut butter. Roll “dough” like a jelly roll to enclose the peanut butter. Cut into slices and place on waxed paper. Chill in refrigerator until set

Serving Size: 24 servings

Potato Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• ·         1 cup of softened butter
• ·         ½ cup of sugar
• ·         1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• ·         ½ cup of crushed potato chips
• ·         ½ cup of chopped walnuts
• ·         2 cups of flour

Directions:

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla in mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Add potato chips, walnuts and flour. Mix well. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Arrange on cookie sheet. Press flat with a glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 350^o for 13 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.

Serving Size: 24 servings

Yummy Snacks Part 1

                I am a sucker for sweets and snacks! So, I have put together the recipes for some of my favorites so that you can try them too! Do not be discouraged by the names of some of the snacks, as some names are pretty creative. Please note that serving sizes are not given with all recipes and some recipes may contain peanuts. All of the recipes have been taken from my family’s cookbook.

Garbage Mix

Ingredients:

• ·         1 box of Chex cereal
• ·         2 bags of Bugles
• ·         1 small box of Ritz Cracker Cheese Sandwiches
• ·         1 bag of pretzels
• ·         2 cans of salted peanuts
• ·         2 cans of shoestring potatoes
• ·         1 large bag of Goldfish Crackers
• ·         1 bag of Cheetos
• ·         1 package of Oyster crackers
• ·         1 bottle of Orville Redenbacher butter oil
• ·         2 packages of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
• ·         1 teaspoon of garlic powder

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients together in a garbage bag. Sprinkle on oil. Toss bag. Put in large container and toss on occasion.

Peanut Brittle

Ingredients:

• ·         2 cups of sugar
• ·         1 tablespoon of butter
• ·         1 cup of Karo syrup
• ·         1 ½ cup of Spanish peanuts (raw)
• ·         ½ cup of water
• ·         2 teaspoons of baking soda
• ·         1 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions:

Cook sugar, syrup and water in a sauce pan until they reach a ball-like stage. Add peanuts and butter. Cook to hard crack. Remove from heat, and add the baking soda and vanilla. Pour on greased cookie sheet. Allow to cool and break into pieces.